


280 Million Years

by ghostwriter00797



Category: Dex Hamilton: Alien Entomologist (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Bug Death, Episode Tag: s01e06 A Blast From the Past, Gen, Mention of Death, Sort Of, being stuck in Earth's prehistoric past is Not Fun, habi-bot is a good protector, old fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-19
Updated: 2018-05-19
Packaged: 2019-05-09 01:35:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14706629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostwriter00797/pseuds/ghostwriter00797
Summary: Dex didn't seal himself in that amber without help.orHabi-bot is more than just a harmless little helper.





	280 Million Years

**Author's Note:**

> This is super old, but it definitely was something that I found interesting. Dex had to have had some help from Habi when he sealed himself away, and it certainly took longer than a day.

**3000/09/23: 11:00**

 

Watching Dex fight for his life is something that Habi-bot is used to. However, this time is different. Zap is gone, Tung is gone, and Jenny has vanished from his sensors. Old coding comes alive in an instant. His creator lead such a dangerous lifestyle before she settled down that it is practically a habit to throw himself in between the human and the threat.

“Habi, what are you-”

Those long buried systems begin to fire, programs slowly booting up. Habi remembers all of the things that Jenny helped him to forget, and soon the air is filled with nothing but smoke. The dangerous bug’s dying screams are a balm to the sudden commands to  _ protect _ the fragile human. Habi-bot has a new ward, whether Dex Hamilton likes it or not.

* * *

 

**3000/09/23: 16:30**

 

It takes hours to pry the crying human off of the corpse, and even then only long enough to grab an egg from it. The rest is quickly incinerated and the long trek back to the portal begins. There is always an optic trained on Dex, watching every twitch. Habi-bot has a mission now, and he will not fail.

“Habi, do you think they know that it isn’t their fault?”

A soft, bitter laugh makes its way out of Dex. Habi isn’t physically capable of answering vocally, but he makes his opinions clear as he perches on the man’s shoulder.

“I might never see them again. I know I promised, but…”

It’s so uncharacteristic, so odd, to see the normally cheerful leader so upset. Habi assumes that it must be the realization of what he has sacrificed, everything that he has given up to protect the future of his world. It isn’t right. Dex needs every last ounce of optimism to come up with a solution, so Habi digs up more old files. They need a good debugging, but one is of good enough quality to use. A small mechanical trill precedes the soft sounds of an old lullaby. His creator often found comfort in that when she was small, and now Habi can use it to bring a little happiness to his new ward. The wan smile isn’t perfect, but it is a start.

* * *

 

**3000/09/30: 04:30**

 

As predicted by the both of them, the portal is long dead. The soft blue glow still illuminates the landscape, but there is no conceivable way for them to re-energize it. The only advantage it gives is scaring off anything alive that isn’t Dex. There is water nearby, and there are edible plants that won’t kill humans. Habi supposes the jet could function as a shelter, but he knows that Dex won’t want to waste that energy. If it weren’t for the solemn attitude, one would think that the man was going camping. Still, the past few days have yielded a nice shelter and a decent inventory. Habi won’t complain.

“Alright Habi, I think I have an idea.”

The first words that Dex forms after such a long period of silence, and they are just what he wants to hear.

“It’s risky, but it just might work. The life support systems in the jet can be slightly modified to our purposes, and I’ll need your help collecting the other supplies.”

And Dex puts the first step in motion.

* * *

 

**Unknown: Unknown**

 

Time begins to blur the harder that Dex works. Habi’s internal clocks went out the day after Christmas, but he has bigger issues to deal with. His human (and Dex is  _ his _ ) barely sleeps, barely eats, and he refuses to slow down. Even after he passes out from exhaustion and wakes with a fever so intense that Habi thinks that he’s going to perish, Dex keeps on going. It drives Habi’s programming up the walls, but short of physically restraining the man there is nothing that he can do. 

They work in silence the majority of the time, Dex’s voice raspy from disuse. Day by day they dig a little deeper, a little faster. Habi can’t remember the last time he entered a recharge cycle. A little niggling feeling at the back of his processor remembers the warning that his creator had given him. The rest of Habi shoves it away into the deepest recesses and continues on. The more time he has to protect his ward, the better.

* * *

 

The sap is the hardest part. Figuring out how to keep it from hardening, how to shape it, how to keep it as pure as possible is a challenge. They spend what feels like years on the solution, and honestly they may have. Habi can’t pick up any indicators of aging on his scanners, but he has a feeling. Still, they continue on. The closer they get to their goal, the more Dex smiles. Habi doesn’t know if that is a good sign or a bad one.

* * *

 

“Hey Jenny, Zap, Tung. It’s Dex! I’m still here, and if all of this goes right I’ll be seeing you in the blink of an eye!”

Habi-bot takes in every second, straining the limits of his body to capture this moment in perfect detail. He won’t fail his ward, not now.

“I know that you miss me. I’ve missed you guys too. I just want you to know that it wasn’t your fault. You followed my orders like you should have, and you’re safe. Honestly, the thought of you guys has kept me alive.”

His hands, out of the video feed, are twisting and turning. Fingers trace new scars, burning their paths even further into Habi. His failures, mundane or worse, on display.

“Habi’s here too, obviously. He’s been such a great help Jenny, and I promise you that even if I don’t survive this he has orders to find you. If you can’t have me, then you’ll at least have memories of me.”

The tears fall as Dex smiles and steps towards the jet. They’ve placed the egg inside, and as Dex attaches the life support he looks at Habi (at his team) one more time.

“I’ll see you on the other side guys. Habi, you know what to do.”

The video feed cuts off, stored carefully in his hard drive, and Habi gently guides Dex to their setup. The Jet had gone in first, the resin holding it in place. Now, Habi pulls the mask up and watches as his ward’s eyes flutter shut. The soft shimmer of the suspension kicks in, and Habi gently pushes Dex next to the jet. And Habi-bot waits.


End file.
